Chapter 5: Conclusion 5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary of key findings in relation to the research questions
5.2.1 How are the parents of learners at the rural primary school involved in their children’s schooling?
This study considered two ‘spaces’ through which rural parents at Intaba Umbukiso Primary School were involved in their children’s schooling. At school level the parents gave a high level of support to school governance, parent-teacher meeting and activities organised by the school. At home level, they tried very hard to assist their children with their schoolwork and reading while facing many challenges (such as socio-economic problems, lack of resources and understanding the new curriculum).
Also, at home level the parents who were literate managed to assist their children with their homework and reading while the illiterate parents experienced difficulty in helping their children with homework and reading.
Irrespective of the participants’ level of literacy, it was evident that they placed a high value on their children’s schooling. Their efficacy was aroused by their determination to make a success of their children’s schooling through strong communal and community values.
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5.2.2 What factors enhance parental involvement at the school?
The study participants attributed the high level of attendance at parent-teacher meetings and school activities to the kind and respectful manner in which they were received by the principal and staff. Secondly, their children’s quest for learning instilled in them a desire to play an active role in their children’s schooling. Finally, the participants who were literate found it much easier to engage with the school and to help their children with their homework and reading.
5.2.3 What factors inhibit parental involvement at the school?
The participants’ perception revealed several factors that inhibited rural parents from giving full attention to their children’s schoolwork. Firstly, the participants who were illiterate found it difficult to assist their children with their homework. Secondly, the participants could not understand the methodology of the OBE curriculum and they were unfamiliar with the new subjects taught in OBE. Thirdly, due to their low socio- economic status, they did not have the resources to improve the learning conditions in the home. Finally, the participants had to deal with livelihood issues such as the lack housing, electricity and piped water which sapped their time and energy.
5.2.4 What role does the level of the parents’ literacy play in their involvement at the school?
This study has shown that parents who were literate fared better in teaching their children literacy at home. They managed with the literacy demands placed upon them by the school and in helping their children with their homework. Furthermore, they understood the notices received from the school which kept them informed and up to date with school requirements. Literacy empowered them to promote learning in the home and to ensure that their children make a success of their schooling.
On the other hand illiterate parents found it difficult to assist their children with homework and reading and had implement measures to offset this deficiency. They relied on neighbours and older sibling to assist their children with their homework and to teach literacy in their homes.
The social use of literacy was also discussed in this section. It revealed that informal learning that arose from daily activities equipped the participants with internalised skills that helped them cope with livelihoods issues.
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Arising out of these research findings, the following recommendations will prove useful on the subject of parental involvement at this school and at other schools in general.
5.3.1 Intaba Umbukiso Primary School is a model for parental participation As discussed earlier in this chapter, studies show that today there is growing trend of non-participation of parents in South African schools (Lemmer, 2007; Mbokodi, 2008;
Mbokodi, 2008). Hence, a need exists to identify and foreground schools that contradict this trend. Since the findings have shown an exemplary level of parental participation at Intaba Umbukiso Primary School, this school should be seen as a model for parental participation.
Furthermore, this case has shown that parental involvement in their children’s schooling activities lead to parental participation which created space for informal learning. This led to improved efficacy for parents of a low socio-economic status to support other opportunities of involvement.
5.3.2 Promotion of adult literacy at the school
The findings revealed that illiteracy and unemployment were some of the major factors that inhibited parents from assisting their children with their schoolwork. Since only 24 adult learners (according to Teacher A, 2011) were enrolled at the ABET centre, the situation can be improved if more adults are encouraged to study adult literacy at the ABET centre. Furthermore, schools in the community should encourage a mass exposure to adult literacy campaigns (such as Kha Ri Gude that is being run countrywide). By getting parents involved in the various literacy programmes will equip them to promote literacy in the home.
5.3.3 Increase the parents’ understanding of the school curricula
The parents did not clearly understand of the methodology and new subjects in OBE.
This impeded their ability in helping their children with homework and assignments.
The school should ensure that the parent body is not only informed about the curriculum, but made to understand its implications in teaching and learning.
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5.3.4 Improving parent capacity to deal with homework
The findings in the study showed that illiterate participants experienced difficulty in giving personal assistance to their children with their homework and assignments. As discussed in 5.3.2, the school could do much more to improve the situation. The school could organise a school based homework groups facilitated by literate parents’
or unemployed youth in the neighbourhood. Furthermore, the school should broaden the scope of its existing adult literacy programme by encouraging greater levels of parental participation. This will equip parents to provide a meaningful environment for literacy development through family literacy programmes as echoed in Land (2012).
5.3.5 Adoption of a parent advisory body
The formation of a parent advisory body can serve a useful purpose in helping parents understand and deal with nutrition, health, illiteracy, social development and other issues that relate to parental participation in their children’s schooling. The principal and educators together with the SGB members can recruit voluntary assistance from people qualified or knowledgeable in these fields, from the community or areas outside the community, to serve on this body. This body must operate under the ambit of the SGB of the school.
Furthermore, the parent advisory body can set up a parent resource room to provide parents with free copies of the local newspaper, health pamphlets, HIV & AIDS pamphlets, curriculum news, etc. The room can also display posters on literacy, health, nutrition and the name and contact details of important role-players in the community (e.g. the ward councillor and social development members). The general parent population of the school should be made aware of this arrangement and encouraged to make full use of this body.
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In research choices are made about factors such as the research design, site and sampling technique. However, these options often do not work according to the original plan. This implies that research will bear certain limitations. Good quality research declares these limitations, thus making the reader familiar with them.
In view of the foregoing, it is imperative that I declare the limitations experienced in this study.
As an English home language speaking person, in most cases I had to analyse data that was presented by isiZulu speaking participants. In such instances, before analysing the data I relied on the interpretation of the data. However, such data could be inadvertently flavoured by the interpreter’s own beliefs and expectations. Hence, data of this nature must be treated with caution.
Secondly, the principal was involved in the selection of the participants. Hence, I recorded the perceptions of participants whom the school’s principal saw fit to participate in the study. The limitation is that the sample chosen by the principal might be biased in favour of the school.
Thirdly, the timing of my visits was a problem for the participants. Since the interviews were conducted during school hours, most of them had to leave their household chores and daily routine to make time to attend the interview sessions.
Also, two female participants took time off from their work to attend the interviews.
Attending the interviews under these conditions may have distracted the participants from giving their full attention to the study. Thus volunteering may have resulted in inadequate or distorted data being provided.
By comparing and contrasting data extracted from the documents and observation notes, I attempted to maintain accuracy in presenting data in the findings.
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In spite of the harsh realities (such as poverty, illiteracy and lack of resources) experienced by these poor rural parents, this school has developed a trend of encouraging higher levels of participation in school based activities (such as parent- teacher meetings and Ilima). Furthermore, the study has shown that unemployment and poverty did not deter these parents them from playing supportive roles in their children’s schooling.